74 School Shootings Since Newtown–How Many Were Significant?

By |June 14, 2014

After the homicide-suicide at a school in Troutdale, Or., a list and map of 74 “school shootings” since the Newtown massacre made the rounds of traditional and social media, says the Christian Science Monitor. Maintained by Everytown for Gun Safety, a coalition including Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the list has stirred a debate about what should count under the heading of school shootings. Everytown says it counts all incidents in which “a firearm was discharged inside a school building or on school or campus grounds, as documented in … news accounts. This includes assaults, homicides, suicides, and accidental shootings.”

Some say the criteria are too broad. “When people think 'school shooting,' it's Sandy Hook, it's Columbine – it's not a gang-banger actually shooting herself in the thigh,” says journalist Charles C. Johnson, who posted links on his twitter feed @ChuckCJohnson with the heading, “Another fake shooting listed by everytown,” to cite incidents on the list that didn't match people's typical image of a school attack. One tweet mentions a 19-year-old shot behind a California elementary school at night. Yet classes were canceled to give investigators time to gather evidence. The victim was a student at a nearby college.

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